Albany man arrested after Bend chase, thanks to OSP’s ‘eyes in sky’

A traffic complaint about a dangerous driver on Highway 20 west of Bend Saturday afternoon led to a brief police chase and an Albany man’s eventual arrest, thanks in part to an Oregon State Police pilot’s eye in the sky, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

It all began around 1 p.m., when county 911 dispatchers got a call of a dangerous driver heading east on Highway 20 near Innes Market Road, west of Bend, said Sgt. Dan Bilyeu.

The SUV was described as a beige, newer Jeep with a blue license plate and yellow letters, Bilyeu said. Dispatchers said it might be related to an earlier traffic complaint of a beige or champagne-colored Volvo SUV.

OSP had a plane in the area and was able to track the SUV from the air, giving frequent updates on its location and direction of travel, Bilyeu said.

A sheriff’s deputy spotted the Volvo on the north end of Bend and tried to stop the driver, later identified as Justin Scott Kraupa, 27, of Albany, but the driver refused to pull over and headed south on Third Street.

Bilyeu said the pursuit was almost immediately discontinued “due to unnecessary risk to the public.”

However, the OSP pilot was able to keep observing the SUV until the driver stopped at an apartment complex on Northeast Full Moon Drive, the sergeant said.

Kraupa tried to run, but was captured by sheriff’s deputies and Bend police without further incident, Bilyeu said.

Jail records showed Kraupa was being held without bail on an out-of-county warrant. New charges include attempting to elude police by vehicle and on foot, reckless driving, recklessly endangering and criminal driving with a suspended or revoked license.